Sewing-machine attachment



G. J. AXT. SEWING MACHINE ATTACHME'NT. APPLICATION FILED MAYI5, 1919.

1,361,356, Patented Dec. 7,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- IN VENTOR W1 TNESSES t I G y G. J. AXT.

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION men MAY 15, I919;

1,361,356; Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES I ATTORNEY.

PATENT OFFICE.

7 GEORGE J. AXT, on rA'ssAIo, New mm.

SEWING-MACHINE ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. '7, 1920.

Application filed my 15, 1919. SeriaI No. 297,429

To all w 710m it may concern: I

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. Am, a citizen of the United States, residing at Passaic, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machine Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to sewing machines and has for its primary object the production of a device whicli will automatically bring the sewing machine to a stop for such reason as the breaking of the thread or the running out of the material being sewed even though the machine may previously have been operated at a maximum speed.

Another object of this invention is the production of an automatic stop for sewing machine which is particularly advantageous for use where a number of machines are simultaneously driven by a. continually operating motive power whereby the automatic stop of each machine will bring the machine to a stop when the thread breaks or the material beingsewed gives out, although the other machines in the group may continue to operate.

Another object of this invention is the production of an automatic stop for sewing machines which will operate to disengage the usual clutch mechanism now in use upon power driven machines, thus causing the machine to come to a standstill. v

Another object of this invention is the production of an automatic stop for sewing machines wherein connections are provided for engagement and shifting by the balance wheel under extreme conditions, thus causing the power and the driving momentum of the balance wheel to automatically shift a latching mechanism, whereby theusual clutch mechanism will disengage and cause the machine to stop.

A. still further ob ect of thisinvention is the production of an automatic stop for move into position to be engaged by the a e wh l t us swa s. t 9Y T@ T mechanismto be actuated-"for causing'the the machine to stop.

One practical. form of construction and assembly of the present invention will be hereinafter described and is illustrated in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the automatic stop applied to a machine.

Fig. 2; is a top plan view of the device.

.Fig. 3 is an end view of the complete device, a portion of the supporting table of the machine being shown in section, and a part of the balance wheel being broken away.

Fig. 4; is an end view of the opposite end of the machine to that illustrated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail perspective view of the rim'of the balance wheel showing an operating wedge fixed thereon.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of a certain cylinder and the plunger thereof used upon the material rack.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention about to be described, it should be understood that the invention may be used in connection with various forms of sewing machines. In the present instance it is used in connection with the table 10 having a machine body 11 mounted thereon, which in turn. is provided with the usual head12. The body and head are also provided with'a suitable thread carrying means 13 a needle support 14 and presser foot 15. The mechanism is also driven by the balance wheel 16, this balance wheel being driven by the belt or cable 17 passing around the sectional clutch 18. This sectional clutch is of any suitable conventional form being driven by the cable or belt 19 from a suitablesource of power supply, not being deemed necessary to beherein illustrated. It should be understood however that the clutch is of a sectional construction. In theordinary forms ofsewing m'achines'such as now in use a lever 20" has a projection 20 thereon being moved in one directionby a spring 21, carried upon a projection 22 of the clutch si1pporting frame 23. A rod 241 is cennectedto one end of the lever 20 and by means of the clamp 25 is connected to the pu sh rod 26. The. push rod 26 extends hr ugh the table 0 and ha' 'ah upon swuprer n Under ordina y. conditions whe the h ad i .i p essed downwar ly the lever 20 will swing downwardly at one 1 clutch to disengage itself and thus allow 7 I swing the lever 20 upwardly whereby the sectional clutch is released from its operative p0s1t10n and as only a'frlctlonal engagement exists between the sections of the clutch it is obvious the sewing machine will sto 1 h order to accomplish this function means are provided whereby the push rod is held to cause the sections to engage and operate the machine until the thread of the machine breaks or the goods runs out, whereupon the machine will automatically be brought to a stop.

A latch plate 28 is pivotally mounted as indicated at 29 upon the table 10 and has a coiled spring 30 connected thereto for normally forcing one end thereof in one direction. The bracket 31 fitting upon the latch plate 28 carried by the table 10 will guide the plate in its movement. The push rod 26 is provided with a notch 32 adjacent its upper end, and for this reason when the head 27 is depressed, the spring 30 will move the latch plate 28 into this notch and the latch plate will therefore hold the rod against upward movement until the latch plate releases the same. An extension 33 is fixed upon the latch plate 28 and extends inwardly toward the machine body although it terminates in an abutment 34. A side plate 35 is carried by the supporting elements 36 upon the machine body extending longitudinally thereof in a horizontal plane as shown in Fig. 1. This plate 35 has lugs 37 adjacent its ends and upon its inner side while a lug 38 is carried upon the outer side of the supporting plate 35 at one end thereof. i j A standard 39 is pivotally mounted upon the lug 38 at its upper end while the lower end of the standard 39 rests upon the base of the machine body. A finger 40 is fixed upon and extends from the standard 39 adjacent its lower-end, and this finger terminatesin an extension 41 projecting at right angles thereto and adjacent the abutment 34 on the extension 33 of the latch plate 28, as shown in Fig. 2. The standard 39 as above pointed out is pivotally supported to allow the same to turn, although it is normally held in a set position by a coil spring 42 connected thereto and also connected to the tensioning device 43 carried by the machine body'll, as shown in Fig. 3.

A supporting strip 44 is fixed upon the standard 39 intermediate its ends as illus- -trated in Fig. 3 and projects for a considerable distance beyond this Standard. Trip A trip rod 49 extends longitudinally of the h supporting plate 35 as shown in Fig. 2 and is pivotally mounted upon the lugs 37. The trip rod is bent at one end to provide an arm 50 having a loop 51 upon its end through which the thread 52 moving around the thread support 13 and being fed to the needle bar 14, extends as shown in Fig. 4.

Therefore, it is obvious that tension of the thread 52 will normally hold the loop 51 over contiguous to the central portion of the head 12 of the machine body 11. The opposite end of the trip rod 49 has a bent arm 53 thereon to which the link 54 is connected as shown in Fig. 3. The opposite end of the link 54 is in turn connected to the trip lever 45. Accordingly when the thread is passing evenly through the thread feed or guide means 13 and the needle bar 14, the

trip rod 49 will be held in a set position and thus the trip lever 45 will also be held as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The material rack which is indicated in general at 55 is fixed upon one edge of the machine table 10 in alinement with the needle bar 14 as well as the head 12. This rack 55 includes a plurality of horizontally extending bars 56 around which the material passes from a suitable supply, such for in stance as a roll or a bolt of such material as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. v4. Re-

taining elements 57 are also provided thus causing the material to be fed thereunder and ride down evenly on the machine table 10 where it will be folded by the hammer 58 and then passed to the needle where it will be properly sewed. that any desired or approved form of goods support may be provided the present one being shown to illustrate the operation of the invention. A cylinder 59 has a support ing bracket 60 thereon which bracket is fixed as indicated at 60 upon one of the bars 56. A plunger 61 is adapted to pass into the cylinder 59 asshown in Fig. 6. A cord 62 is connected to the plunger 61 and passes through a guide 63 on the machine table 10 to in turn be connected to the outer end of the trip lever 46 as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. It is to be understood that the goods indicated at 64 passes around the rack as hereinbefore specified and for this reason It will be understood passes directly below the lower end of the cylinder 59. Therefore as the plunger 61 is carried within the cylinder it will be held from displacement by passing from the lower end thereof so that the goods or material will bear directly thereon and prevent this action.

When the device is in operation, the push rod 26 is moved downwardly and as above specified the fiat plate 28 will fit within the notch 32 and thus hold the rod in a depressed position as shown in dotted lines in Fig; 4. Accordingly the clutch sections will be engaged and power will be applied to the machine by the balance wheel 16, thus causing the machine to operate. At this time as the heads 17 are spaced apart, sufficient space is provided for the movement of the wedge 18 therebetween.

However, if the thread 52 breaks for any reason or if the needle breaks, it is obvious the arm 50 will be released and will swing to hang, downwardly in substantially a vertical plane. This action causes the trip rod 19 to turn, thus causing the arm 53 to move downwardly whereby the link 54L, will move downwardly and allow the trip lever 4L5 to swing upon its pivot, thus causing the head A7. of the trip lever 45 to move into the path of movement of the wedge 48 on the balance wheel 16. As soon as this wedge strikes the trip arm 45, which will be almost instantaneously after the movement of the head into the path of movement of the wedge owing to the rapid rotation of the balance wheel 16, the'wedge will strike the head and thus forcethe same to one side whereby the supporting strip 44 will be swung to one side and will pivot the standard 39. As the standard 39 is turned in a clockwise direction it is obvious the finger 10 thereof will be swung as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. As this finger is swung, it will shift the latch plate 28 from its engagement with the push rod 26. Accordingly the push rod will move upwardly as hereinbefore specified, thus allowing the frictional clutch sections to disengage and power is therefore cut oil from the machine and it will stop its operation. The operator may then proceed to rethread the machine in the proper manner and then upon again depressing the push rod, the machine will start to operate.

Where no trouble is being had with the thread, it may be that the material being sewed upon a particular machine runs out and under such conditions it is desirable to bring the machine to an immediate stop. This is accomplished by the running out of the material which obviously will cause the material to be entirely removed from the rack Therefore, the plunger 61 will move downwardly from the cylinder 59 for a-short distance thus drawing upon the cord 62. This movement of the cord will pull the outer end of the trip lever A6 downwardly, while the head of this trip lever will be swung upwardly into the path of movement of the wedge 18 on the balance wheel 16 whereby the standard 39 will be shifted and the latch plate movedto release the push rod and cause the sections of the clutch to disengage in the manner hereinbefore specified.

It will therefore be seen that a device has been provided which is especially advantageous in use where a great number of machines are employed for quantity work and for hemming the edges of a great many yards of materia-l for under such conditions only a minimum number of operators are L necessary for the machines. The motive power is the same for all of the machines and continuously operates although it is necessary to bring the machines to independent stops at different times although the motive power continues to operate and any number of the machines may likewise continue. The device, being of an automatic nature to automatically stop the machine may also be manually operated for any reason desired simply by pushing the plate 28 to release the push rod and allowing the lever 22 to move to permit the sections of the clutch to disengage.

However, when the thread breaks or when the material runs out one or the other of the trip levers will be moved so that the momentum of the balance wheel will cause the standard to turn and through the latching arrangement the push rod will be released and thus the clutch sections will disengage and the machine will stop.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings have reference to what might be considered to be the approved or preferred form of my invention. I desire it to be understood that I may make such changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a machine body having a mechanism including a balance wheel, a clutch mechanism for driving the balance wheel and thus operating said mechanism, and means to be operated by said balance wheel as an emergency arises whereby the clutch will be rendered inoperative and the machine will stop.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a machine including an operating mechanism having a balance wheel,

a clutch means for driving the balance wheel and operating the mechanism, means for holding the clutch means in an operative condition including a push rod, a latch plate releasably engaging the push rod for holding the same in a set position, a standard having a finger engaging said latch plate,

combination of a machine having an operating mechanism including a balance wheel, means for driving the balance wheel, means for holding said drive means in an operative position, said last mentioned means including a push rod, a latch plate engaging the push rod for holding the same in a set position, a standard having a finger thereon engaging said latch plate, a supporting strip on said standard, a trip lever carried by said strip and having a head thereon, a wedge carried by said balance wheel, and means for moving said head of said trip lever into the path of movement of said wedge thus causing the wedge to swingthe trip lever and thus turn the standard, whereby said finger will move the latch plate and release the push rod, thus causing the drive means to become inoperative and permitting the machine to stop.

4%. In a device of the class. described, the combination of a machine body including an operating mechanism having a balance wheel, drive means for operating said bal ance wheel, a trip rod rotatably supported upon said machine body and including an arm at one end, adapted to engage the usual thread of a machine, the remaining end of said rod having an arm provided with a link, means for holding said drive means in an operative position, a latch means for holding said last mentioned means in a set position, said latch means including a trip lever, said link being connected to said trip lever, whereby when said first mentioned arm is released said trip arm will turn to allow the link to release the trip lever whereby the trip lever will be engaged by said wedge to be shifted and thus move said latching means, whereby the drive means will be rendered inoperative and the machine will be stopped.

5. The combination of a sewing machine having means for disconnecting it from its source of power, with a trip rod rotatably mounted on the sewing machine, means on one end of the trip rod for engaging the thread of the sewing machine for preventing its rotation, an arm situated at the other end of the trip rod, and means actuated by said arm for actuating the disconnecting means above mentioned for stopping the motion of the sewing machine when the thread breaks.

6. The combination of a sewing machine, including a body, an operating mechanism having a balance wheel, a wedge fixed thereon, a hingedly mounted standard, a lever pivoted thereto and having a head at its free end adapted to normally engage the wedge for swinging the standard, means actuated by the thread of the machine for holding the head out of engagement with the wedge and means connected to the standard for stopping the sewing machine upon swinging of the standard in the manner described.

7. The combination of a sewing machine including a body, an operating mechanism having a balance wheel, a wedge fixed thereon, a trip rod rotatably mounted on the sewing machine, means on one end of the trip rod for engaging the thread ofthe sewing machine for preventing its rotation, an arm situated at the other end of the trip rod, a hingedly mounted standard mounted upon the sewing machine, a lever pivoted thereto and having a head at its free end adapted to normally engage the wedge for swinging the standard, a link having one end connected to the lever and the other end connected to the arm so as to normally hold the head out of engagement with the wedge, and means connected to the standard for stopin the motion of the sewin machine u on swinging of the standard in the manner described. r

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses. GEORGE J. AXT.

WVitnesses:

ROBERT M. Orronn, SAMUEL TRAVAGLIO. 

